The animal feed industry has its roots in the way traditional millers grinded the grains centuries ago, using (wooden) windmills. Nowadays feed is produced for chickens and other poultry, as well as for cattle, pigs and horses. There is a wide variety of feed and grains produced, with different raw materials (nutrients) applied in several compositions.

In this modern era electric driven pellet mills are applied and grains are cooled mainly in counterflow coolers. To remove dust from the used cooling air usually a baghouse filter is being used which can meet the current severe dust emission standards. After this the air eventually will be blown outside. Especially the cooling air of poultry feed and pig feed production should be deodorized to prevent complaints.

A factory usually has multiple pellet lines in service with about 15,000 to 25,000 m3/h of cooling air per line. Aerox has developed specific solutions for this industry.

On the one hand a compact Aerox®-Injector can be installed per pellet line. On the other hand, airflows of different production lines can be joined together and can be treated with one compact Aerox®-Injector. In practice, this can be added up to 4 lines with a total airflow of up to 90,000 m3/h.

Since the Aerox®-Injector can run on different capacities unnecessary power consumption is prevented when not all pellet lines are in service. This benefits the environment and reduces operational costs.

TenCate Geotube technology is used for agriculture applications to reduce the waste in lagoons and utilize the contained nutrients for crops. This dewatering technology reduces the lagoon size by 50%, reduces labor and energy for land application by 50-70%, stores contained nutrients until needed for crops, provides higher quality flush water and reduces the odor and insect problems normally encountered. Over time, these solids dry in the dewatering containers, making the contained nutrients easier to transport and apply to crops.

In the field of energy, the industry continuously relies and depends on the supply of fossil fuels. Due to the ongoing increases of energy costs and the major dependence in relation to the production processes, an alternative energy source is advisable for the industry.

Accuracy and ease of use make SM300 Soil Moisture Sensors well suited to irrigation applications. Readings can be used to optimise irrigation scheduling, or the SM300 can be installed as part of an automatic irrigation system. The sensor`s compact size allows it to be installed in plant pots or grow bags.

Hidden hunger is caused by a lack of micronutrients - vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin A, Zinc and Iron) which are essential to good health. Micronutrient malnourishment can cause stunting and blindness in children and can lower IQ as well as increasing risks for mothers and infants during childbirth and lowering resistance to disease in both children and adults. The Energy dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analyser X-Supreme8000 can screen whole grain rice samples for concentration of iron and zinc. EDXRF is faster and more cost efficient with the low cost of around 2 cents per sample compared to around $20 with current analytical methods

Agriculture is by far the largest water use at global level. Irrigation of agricultural lands accounted for 70% of the water used worldwide. In several developing countries, irrigation represents up to 95% of all water uses, and plays a major role in food production and food security. Future agricultural development strategies of most of these countries depend on the possibility to maintain, improve and expand irrigated agriculture.

Animal feed is a key component in modern agricultural production ensuring that livestock receives the correct nutritional input for optimum animal health and farm productivity. The amount of fat in animal feed is one of the key nutritional and quality control parameters in the manufacture of animal feed. Our Benchtop NMR Analyser - MQC system provides a fast, simple and accurate method of measuring fat in animal feed without the need for solvent extraction which is slow, labour intensive and requires skilled operators. In addition, the instrument signal is directly and linearly related to hydrogen content (of the fat) which means that chemometrics in combination with a very large set of calibration standards are not required.

The measurement of oil and moisture in fish feed is essential within fish farming, an important and growing industry providing high quality food for a growing global population. Fish feed is a key part of the ecology and economics of the industry making the control of the nutritional content and perceived quality of the product essential. Our Benchtop NMR Analyser - MQC system provides a fast, simple and accurate method of measuring the key parameters of oil and moisture in fish feed without the need for solvent extraction and oven drying which are slow, labour intensive and require skilled operators. In addition, the instrument is directly and linearly related to hydrogen content (of the oil/moisture) which means that chemometric analysis in comination with a very large set of calibration standards are not required.

The breeding, cultivation and processing of seeds to obtain vegetable oil is a major global industry. The amount of oil in seeds and water in seeds are critical parameters which need to be understood at all stages of the industry from plant breeding through commercial agriculture to milling and processing. Oils derived in this manner are used in foodstuffs, the manufacture of biofuels and as a chemical feedstock for many products. Our Benchtop NMR Analyser - MQC instrument provides an extremely fast, simple-to-operate answer to the question “how much oil and water is present in my seeds?`

The principle fertilisers used to boost soil productivity are phosphate based. Monoammonium Phosphate (MAP) and Diammonium phosphate (DAP) are used for their ability to deliver Nitrogen and Phosphorus (both macronutrients) to soil as solid fertilisers. Phosphate rock is the raw material for production and is extracted from large deposits across Florida, the Southern Mediterranean into the Middle East (namely Morocco and Saudi Arabia) and on into Russia and China. To this rock, sulfuric acid is added producing phosphoric acid. This acid is then reacted with ammonia and elemental sulfur producing a sulfur enhanced fertiliser. During this process, the dust produced can potentially reach explosive levels.

Controlled Environment Horticulture is a vast topic, and has been utilised in varying forms for centuries. Excavations of the city of Pompeii showed remains of early greenhouses dating back to AD79; and the modern greenhouses are thought to originate in the thirteenth century in Italy. Most people recognise the use of greenhouses for growing flowers and vegetables, whether in their own garden, at garden centres or on a commercial basis. Indeed most people will be conversant with irrigation systems that are used to supply water to such greenhouses and the use of heaters to control the temperature and thereby extend the growing season. However, modern systems have been developed for Controlled Environment Horticulture that are designed to further optimise the growing conditions; with sophisticated computer controlled sensors, combined with advanced software models, that can control not only the temperature, light level and water, but also the level of nutrients, humidity, pH and CO2